The Virtue of Being Thickheaded VAxgeereane D'Avzoveitu Son elution, gconenigue et alti. Chest Glee Fort)
ly, Andre Stexfried," Tir. 60. (0.
This is the first of a series of three studies of conditions in Great British undertaken by BIN. Siegfried fon behalf of the Musée Social, with the collaboration of the Association France-Grande Bretagne. It is thorough piece of work, accompany ied by an elaborate chart dealing with prices, wages, and unemployment during the last 10 years, and ice does not justify such a bring 1g of coals to Neweastle as a eseription of it for English read-But there are passages in the last chapter, in which the author pleads with his countrymen to make more of an effort to understand us, and does his best to give them a good start, that ery for quotation:
fore then one misunderstanding Siegfried writes) arises from the' fact that we forget too easily that the English are English. We talk a lot about British egoism, and ft fs true that the Englishman is egoistical, ingenuously and remorsolessly so. He simply does not know how to put himself in anyone fse's place, that is all: remind him that you are there and he will take notice of you. But he would not have thought of it on his own.
"Very slow to grasp complicated reasoning, he is guided principally by instinct, without analysing what goes on within himself and, especial ly, without knowing how fo express it! Not being tied down by system or logic, he does not waste time in bind alleys, but turns round without more ado, and with astonishing rapidity. It is we French, reputed to be so fickle, who do not know how to depart from a line [conduct we have once adopted.
"The Englishman does not ini agine danger in advance; it is only when the danger is upon him that he perceives it. Also, he forgets soon as it is past, for he refeenbers be mare Walicki than foresees... is at the bottom of the astonishing expression "Ti muddle through." hits hard, he takes his on medicine without anger; the not unattractive code of sport and "fair play"
taught in his school.. But you will fall with him every time if you ty to finesse or if you expect him {o defend your interests for you. Ho. presumes you to understand that Ihe works for himself, and he expects you to do the same. He will not thank you for a concession and will respect you, on the con~ trary, for sticking to your. own] point' of view... - This sence of subterfuge and malice
Jguite young things. He is never gives im. the charm of lose. The Frenchman, labelled frivolous feels old and wise beside, these,. big boys...
'We must bring ourselves to take the Englishman as he is, and, giving up any idea of changing' him, try at least to understand him, With less polemic and more paychology the Franco-British entente would be helped along considerably. When the English take a different point of view from ours they have, after all, their reasons; they are not necessarily doing it out of hostile The capacity of the English for for ting is enormous. They have positively forgotten the danger of yesterday, and do not want to think fof it any more. Did they ever fear Germany? They seem to have no recollection of it left. It is a thing of the past, happily, so why dwell on it? The peril might arise again, you say? As God wills! But if it must be, then Old England will Know well enough how to defend fverself and triumph once more...
"What she (England) would really.like is a Europe without military combinations which might let loose war, Europe regulated by the. League of Nations in which no pow-jer would overshadow the rest. It is] hard to say how great a part idealism and how great a part egoism plays in this conception.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.